Z14 (Zombie Rules) (27 page)

             
“Yeah, you’re probably right. He’s going to blame everything on you guys I’m betting.” Howard opined. I nodded in agreement.

             
“He’ll twist it around somehow. Never mind that his two boys started it, he’ll blame us for their deaths.” I said, and then pointed at Andie. “He’ll eventually figure out she’s with us and he’ll want her back.”

             
Howard rubbed his face and lowered his voice so Andie could not hear. “Maybe you should send her on back. He
is
her uncle.” I shook my head quickly.

             
“Out of the question.” I hesitated a moment before continuing. “He’s done terrible things to her. She’s nobody’s property. She’s free to leave here of her own accord anytime she wants, but I’m not going to give her back to him if she doesn’t want to go.”

             
Howard rubbed his face some more. “I suppose I understand.” He motioned Lashonda over and filled her in on the plan.

             
“I think that is an excellent idea.” She said. “Do you have a house in mind?”

             
I nodded. “Yeah, the Parson’s home. You leave the driveway, turn right, first house on the right. It’s a nice four-bedroom home with two fireplaces. I think they have a wood stove in the basement as well. Oh, and there is a four car garage.” I added. Howard smiled.

             
I thought a moment more. “It still has all of the furnishings and I winterized it, so there are no busted water pipes. I think it’ll be a good home.”

             
“It sounds wonderful.” Lashonda said. “When do you think we should move in?”

             
“I think y’all should move in as soon as possible. When you guys leave here, take one of the trucks. I’ll hook up a trailer to it and you guys can begin packing. I’ll get some firewood over there later today and get a fire started.” I looked around for Julie to see if she had any thoughts on the matter. She wasn’t around.

             
“Anybody know where Julie is?” I asked.

             
“I saw her walking to the barn.” Lashonda said. I nodded and excused myself.

             
Julie was brushing Prancer when I walked into the barn. I walked over to the stall and watched her quietly.

             
“I’ve been neglecting her lately. Maybe I’ll take her for a ride.” She said.

             
“It’s awfully cold out.” I replied.

             
“It’ll feel good.” Julie said. “It’ll feel good to ride out and never stop.” There were fresh tears in Julie’s eyes as she brushed.

“Did you know I wanted to kill Macie once?
When they came that one day and tried to ambush you at the bridge, and you had me set up in the sniper hole. I sat there thinking, if they pull any shit, Macie is the first one I’m going to kill.” She wiped away a tear and pulled a carrot out of her pocket. Prancer eagerly nibbled it out of her hand.

             
“Sounds stupid, doesn’t it?” She asked. “She wasn’t with them of course. She wasn’t that kind of person.” I walked over and put an arm around her. Julie buried her face in my chest and sobbed. After a long while, we walked together back to the house.

              “Tell me who your Uncle met with.” I said. The three of us, Julie, Andie, and I, were sitting at the kitchen table, the Allen family having left after dinner. We had been grilling Andie for the past two hours. She had given us a complete list of names of those living in the Captain’s compound, as well as a detailed map. I took notes as Julie mostly glared at her.

             
“They were soldiers.” Andie said. I stopped writing and looked at her questioningly.

             
“They’re up at Fort Campbell. We happened upon them one day at the airport in Smyrna.” She fidgeted in her seat while we stared at her. “They’re creating a provisional government. The Captain told them he was the leader of this area.” She leaned forward.               “He plans on setting them up and killing them. He thinks they’re going to take over and leave him out of the loop.” Andie said.

             
“When and where?” I asked. She spent the next fifteen minutes giving me the details while I wrote as fast as I could. When I was finished I sat my notepad down and leaned back. Julie was nodding off and I suddenly realized how tired I was as well.

             
“Can I ask something?” Andie asked. I nodded. “What’s with the bucket of water in the bathroom?”

             
“The well water is run off of an electric pump. It is also run through a filter and is treated. It’s more prudent to use buckets of creek water whenever we use the toilet. And by the way, we’re on a septic tank, so no foreign objects are flushed, if you get my drift.” Andie nodded in understanding.

             
“Is that the only thing you wanted to know?” I asked.

             
“Um, well, what are you guys going to do with me?” Andie looked at us worriedly. If I find out you were involved in my girls’ attempted kidnapping and Macie’s death, you’re going to experience a slow painful death, I thought while looking at her. I glanced at Julie. She appeared not to be listening.

             
“You can stay here for now. You’ll be expected to pull your weight with the chores. We’ll discuss it more at a later time. In the meantime, we’re going to bed, you should do the same.” Andie started to get up. “Oh, if you get any ideas of wandering around during the night, I sleep with a gun and am very paranoid. Consider it a warning.”

             
“What if I have to pee?” She asked.

             
“You better take care of it before you go to bed would be my advice.” I answered curtly. Andie hung her head and walked off to the bedroom.

             
“Do you trust her?” Julie asked sleepily. We were in bed holding each other, intentionally avoiding talking about Macie, even though we were on one side of the bed, as if we were saving a space for her.

             
“No.” I answered bluntly. I lay there in silence for a moment. “But I didn’t trust Macie at first.”

             
“She’s not Macie. She’ll never be Macie.” Julie’s voice cracked a bit. She was right, Andie was no Macie.

             
“I love you, Julie.” I said quietly.

             
I poked my head in the doorway of Macie’s bedroom. “Get up.” I said. Andie stirred sleepily. She had slept in her clothes. She was probably convinced we would wake her in the middle of the night and kick her out into the cold night.

             
“Breakfast in fifteen.” I said. “Get cleaned up and wash those bite marks. I’ll have Julie take a look at them if you want. Make sure they’re not getting infected.” I walked back to our bedroom without waiting for a reply. Julie was still lying in bed.

             
“Hey, sweetheart.” I said softly. She cracked one eye open and a sad smile made its way onto her face.

             
“Is this going to be the speech where you tell me to get out of bed and keep going with my life?” I nodded. “It won’t bring Macie back.” She said glumly. Before I could respond with an inspirational cliché, she crawled out of bed and headed to the restroom. I couldn’t help but notice her toned legs and baby bump as she walked by.

             
We had breakfast in silence. Julie was in a somber mood and Andie was too worried she might say the wrong thing.

             
“I don’t want her sleeping in Macie’s bed.” Julie suddenly said. “She can sleep on the couch.” I started to respond, but Andie spoke up.

             
“It’s okay, I understand. It’ll be nice sleeping in front of the fire.” Andie said. I looked at Julie. She ignored me. The rest of the meal passed in silence.

             
“I’m going to help Howard with moving.” I said as we cleaned the dishes. “You want to tag along?” I asked.

             
Julie shook her head. “Take her with you. I don’t have any desire to hang out with her all day.” She looked sidelong at me. “Why do you trust her? What makes you think she had nothing to do with the ambush?”

             
“They had no way of knowing it would have been you and Macie showing up. They thought it was going to be only me. Eli said Barry was planning on getting me. When it was you two who showed up instead, they opted for plan-B.” I said.

             
“Wait, you talked to Eli?” Julie asked.

             
“Yep, he was still alive when we got there. Gut shot. It went through and hit his spine, effectively paralyzing him. He said they found Andie’s diary. Apparently she had written about meeting with me, so they came the night before and set up inside the store.”

             
“Are they dead now?” She asked. I nodded.

             
“Zach set the store on fire. Barry was already dead, but the fire finished Eli.” Andie added. Julie looked at her and then back at me.

             
“For Macie.” I said in explanation. Julie looked at me a long moment before turning her attention to cleaning up the table.

              Andie hopped in the truck sat in the seat until I glared at her. She grabbed the blanket, slunk down in the floorboard, and covered herself without comment. When we neared the tire shop I told her she could get up.

             
“Thanks.” She said quietly. “Is it always going to be this way?” She asked.

             
“I’m not sure yet, but your commentary earlier sure didn’t win any points with me.” I said and glared at her momentarily. We rode in silence then for a couple of miles until we neared Old Hickory Boulevard.

             
“Okay, we’re going to get the Allen family moved as quickly as possible. You can help, or sit in the truck.”

             
“I’ll help.” She said.

             
“Good, I was hoping you’d say that. Now, here’s something we need to address. If the Captain shows up, what are you going to do?” I asked.

             
Andie looked confused. “What do you mean?”

             
“I’m guessing he’ll be pissed and demand you go back with him.”

             
Andie shook her head violently. “I can’t go back, Zach. I can’t take it anymore.” I looked at her quietly. She was trying very hard not to cry, but it wasn’t working. I reached into the glove box and gave her revolver back to her. She looked at it, and then looked at me.

             
“We’ll encounter him one day. It is a matter of when and not if. The question is, am I the person who is supposed to be your knight in shining armor and kill him for you?” I shook my head. “In the immortal words of Max Hoover, you carry your own water.” She stared at me for a long moment before responding.

             
“I have no idea who Max Hoover is.” Andie said. “But I think I get the idea.”

             
Howard and Lil’ H met us as we drove up. “They’ve been trying to call you on the radio, Zach.”

             
“Who, the Captain?” I asked.

             
“Yep. I got a bad feeling. We need to get out of here as soon as possible.” He said. He looked around anxiously. I can’t say I blamed him.

             
Andie and I got out of the truck and looked around. “What’s left to load?”

             
He shook his head. “Nothing we can’t come back and get later.”

             
“Alright.” I said and gave Howard a hand drawn map with directions to the Parson house. “Let’s get going then. You go straight there. I’m taking a roundabout route and will meet you guys there.” Andie took her cue, got back in the truck, and lay down. We arrived at the former home of the Parson’s approximately twenty minutes later. I told Andie we had arrived, and we met the Allens in the front yard of their new home. I scanned the surroundings. The surrounding landscape appeared much the same way it did the last time I was here. Hopefully, that equated to no unwelcome visitors.

             
“This is a nice house.” Lashonda said.

             
“Yeah, I like it. It’s fully furnished as well. Let’s err on the side of caution and make sure there are no unwelcome visitors since the last time I was here, and then we’ll get you guys moved in.” Fortunately, there were no surprises awaiting us. With all of us working together, it only took a couple of hours to get all of their belongings unloaded and moved into the new house. Howard got a fire started and we sat in the den recuperating.

             
“What now, Zach?” Howard asked.

             
“There is a recycle bin in the garage filled with aluminum cans. Have the boys use them and string up a perimeter around the house. Make it about waist high. It’ll serve as a makeshift alarm system. We’ll work on hardening up the house later. We also need to get a greenhouse built, among other things. In short, there’s a lot of work to be done Howard, but I’m very happy to have y’all as neighbors.” I pointed toward a nearby hill. “Our house is on the other side of that hill. If you ever have to bug out, just head that way and announce yourself loudly when you get to the front door.” Howard nodded in understanding. As I pointed, I saw a rider on a horse crest the hill through a grove of trees, and make their way toward us. It was Julie. When she saw us, she broke into a gallop. Lashonda clucked her tongue.

             
“I’m going to get all over that girl.” She clucked her tongue again in the way only a caring mother could. When Julie rode up Lashonda started in.

             
“Young lady, you know better than to be riding a horse like that when you’re pregnant. What has gotten into you?” She scolded.

             
Julie looked down a moment. “I just wanted to go for a ride.” She then looked over at me. “You won’t believe what I just saw.” She had our attention. She pointed back toward the state highway.

             
“There is a dude parked in a bus out on the road near Fred’s house. He’s sitting on top of it, playing a guitar.”

             
“The Captain’s bus?” I asked. Julie shook her head.

             
“No. It’s one of those fancy tour buses that country music stars use.” Julie dismounted from Prancer. I took Prancer’s reins and stripped her of the riding tack before giving her a slap on the rump. She took off at a scamper. She’d make her way back to the barn on her own. Julie, Howard and I jumped in the truck. A minute later we came upon the bus. Sure enough, there was a man wearing an old straw cowboy hat sitting in a lounge chair on top of the bus. He was wearing raggedy jeans, scuffed pointed-toed boots, and was strumming on a very nice looking acoustic guitar.

             
He paused briefly to wave, pointed to the other side of the bus, and then went back to singing a country music song about a man, a woman, and his favorite coon dog. The lyrics seemed to indicate the man had to choose, and perhaps the dog won out.

             
“Guys, wait here and cover me.” I got out and walked around to the other side of the bus. A woman, wearing jeans, flannel shirt, and a torn goose down vest, was staring up at the man. She seemed enrapt by his singing. Her back was to me, but there was something which didn’t seem quite right. She wasn’t clawing up in the air at him, she was merely standing there. She wasn’t aware of my presence, so I went back to the truck and got the machete.

             
When I approached her, the man stopped singing. “There’s something wrong with her, Hoss.” He said to me. “I’d be careful.”

             
I glanced up at him a moment and then snapped my fingers. She turned and faced me. She was indeed infected, but she looked distinctly different from most of the others I had been up close with. Her eyes were almost black. Her skin coloration was slightly jaundiced and there was distinct marbling, but that was the extent of any decomposition.

             
She hissed at me a second before I buried the machete in the side of her neck. Her spine was the only thing that kept me from completely decapitating her. I took another swing and finished the job.

             
“Oh hell Hoss, I was close to serenading the panties right off of her.” He smiled broadly and used the ladder mounted on the rear to climb down. He walked over and offered an outstretched hand.

             
“The name’s Rowdy, named after Rowdy Yates from the old TV show Rawhide, although I am much more handsome than Clint Eastwood.” I smiled and introduced myself. Rowdy was a tall, lanky man, the same height as me. He looked like he was in his mid-thirties, had long hair the color of burned brick, and a matching beard.

             
“You’re admiring the beard, aren’t you?” He grinned. “I started growing it five years ago and vowed to not shave until I had a hit song. When I finally made it, my agent told me not to dare shave it and then this damned plague hit. I think God didn’t want me to be a star.” He leaned forward. “He’s jealous of my good looks too, no doubt.”

             
I nodded. “No doubt. Come on, I’ll introduce you to my friends.” When we came in view of the truck I casually gave a hand signal. When Rowdy saw Julie, he whistled long and slow. He then took his hat off and held it to his chest.

             
“Howdy ma’am, I’m Rowdy Thomas, also known as Rowdy Yates, of the once world famous country rockabilly band, Rowdy’s Rednecks. Whichever one of these gentlemen you are betrothed to, I’m ready to fight ‘em to the death in order to win your affections.” He then winked, took her hand and kissed it sloppily.

             
Julie laughed. “You are so full of shit.”

             
Rowdy gave a big smile. “Perhaps, perhaps. It’s one of my endearing qualities.” I introduced Howard and Julie. Howard grinned and shook Rowdy’s hand.

             
“Don’t worry Hoss, I won’t kiss you.” He said. Howard chuckled.

             
“What are you doing way out here in a tour bus, Rowdy?” Howard asked.

             
“Well now, the answer to your question requires me to regale the three of you with a story of my life for the last year. I suggest we do it over a bottle of some good Stoli vodka? I happen to have one in the bus. What do you say beautiful?”

             
Julie smiled sweetly. “Sorry, can’t drink. I’m pregnant.” Rowdy’s jaw dropped momentarily, but he quickly recovered.

             
“Well then beautiful, I’ll gladly drink enough for the both of us. I shall return shortly.” He went into the bus and emerged a moment later with a bottle.

             
“I got enough booze to last for years.” He took a swig and handed it to Howard. Howard looked around as if Lashonda was spying on him and took a swallow. He grimaced and swallowed. Rowdy chortled and slapped him on the back.

             
“Good shit, huh?” He tried to hand the bottle to me. I declined. He shrugged and took another swallow.

             
“My tale begins a little over fifteen years ago. I was a nineteen-year-old wannabe stud still living in a trailer out in the middle of bum-fuck Alabama with my baby half-brother, my alcoholic daddy, and his third wife, who was also of the dipsomaniac persuasion.” He thought about what he said, and looked at the bottle with a bit of concern. However, it didn’t stop him from taking another drink, although to be honest, it was more of a light sip this time.